Heavy duty winch for cargo tie-down

ABSTRACT

The tubular drum of a winch, for example, in a cargo tie-down apparatus, has a cylindrical outer surface and a longitudinal slot through which one end of a strap extends into and is secured in the drum, and the longitudinal edge of said slot over which the strap is drawn during winding of the strap on the drum is disposed inwardly of said cylindrical surface. Desirably, a convex curved surface of small curvature along said edge merges gradually into said cylindrical surface. The invention eliminates or reduces to the minimum the possibility of fraying or cutting of the strap by the slot edge, and the strap during winding thereof is capable of withstanding extremely high tensions over long periods of time.

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,910,558

Brucker et al. Oct. 7, 1975 54] HEAVY DUTY WINCH FOR CARGO 3,428,3312/1969 Morgan et al. 105/369 A TIE DOWN 3,533,588 10/1970 Cregier248/361 A v 3,697,045 10/1972 Farley 254/5l [75] Inventors: Henry J.Brucker, Summit; Robert J. Brucker, Basking Ridg both PrimaryExaminer-Robert J. Spar Assistant ExaminerKenneth Noland [73] Assignee:Kinedyne Corporation, 1 Attorney, Agent, FirmHarry Rook Mountainside,NJ.

22 Filed: Feb. 13, 1974 1571 ABSTRACT [21] Appl NOJ 442,114 The tubulardrum of a winch, for example, in a cargo tie-down apparatus, has acylindrical outer surface and a longitudinal slot through which one endof a strap 105/369 A extends into and is secured in the drum, and thelongi- [Sl] Int. Cl. B66]? 19/00 tudinal edge of said slot over whichthe strap is drawn Field of Search 5 51, during winding of the strap onthe drum is disposed 254/1 186 105/369 24/68 CD, inwardly of saidcylindrical surface. Desirably, a con- 248/361 2 /719, 1 R; 117 vexcurved surface of small curvature along said edge merges gradually intosaid cylindrical surface. The inl References Cited vention eliminates orreduces to the minimum the pos- UNITED STATES PATENTS sibility offraying or cutting of the strap by the slot 1,175,698 3/1916 Brooks254/161 edge, and the strap during Winding thereof is capable 1,272,9447/1918 Green 254/161 Of withstanding extremely high teflsimls Over longP 2,506,029 5/1950 Maasdam..... iods of time.

3,099,055 7/1963 Huber 3,409,263 11/1968 .lantzen 105/369 A 2 Clam, 13Drawmg F'gures U.S. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 1 of3 3,910,558

US. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 2 of3 3,910,558

Sheet 3 of 3 3,910,558

US. Patent Oct. 7,1975

HEAVY DUTY WINCH FOR CARGO TIE-DOWN BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates in general to cargo tie-down devices of the type whichincludes a flexible binder such as a chain or a relatively wide web,strap or band of nylon webbing or steel webbing, having its endsconnected to a vehicle bed and its intermediate portion drawn tightlyover a load on the bed, at least one end being wound on the drum orspool of a winch that is secured on the bed, for tightening the strapover the-load. The loads generally are large and high and therefore thebinder must be maintained under extreme tension, for example, 10,000pounds to hold the load firmly on the bed, and chains have been requiredto connect the binder to the winch drum although it is more desirable touse webbing if feasible.

In common prior art constructions utilizing a fabric web or strap, thespool or drum has a cylindrical and tubular body in which a straightlongitudinal slot parallel to the body axis and of a length greater thanthe width of the webbing or strap through which one end of the strapextends into the drum, and there is means connected to the strap insidethe drum to prevent the strap from being pulled out of the slot as thestrap is wound on the drum. The outer edges of the side walls of theslot lie in the cylindrical peripheral surface of the drum body, andduring use of winch, when the strap is pulled under tension over a loadthe edge of the slot over which the strap is drawn causes fraying orcutting of the strap.

This construction leaves much to be desired in that it cannot be reliedupon to perform its intended function; the strap is short-lived and evenwhen new, it is liable to break under relatively low tension, forexample, of the orderof 4 or 5,000 pounds. Moreover the construction isnot satisfactory for use in installations in which the strap mustwithstand higher tensions of, for example, 8,000 to l0,000 pounds andmore.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the invention is to providea winch spool or drum of the general character described embodying anovel and improved construction which overcomes the objections to anddisadvantages of the prior art devices, which is reliable in operation,longlived, and in which the possibility of fraying or cutting of thestrap by the edge of the web slot in the drum is eliminated or reducedto the minimum and the strap 'during winding thereof on the drum iscapable of withstanding extremely high tension.

In the winch spool or drum of the preferred form of the invention, theedge of the web slot over which the strap is drawn during winding of thestrap on the drum, is disposed inwardly of the cylindrical peripheralsurface of the drum and there is a convex curved surface extending fromsaid edge of the slot outwardly of the drum and gradually merging intothe cylindrical surface of the drum. Preferably, the portion of the drumadjacent said edge of the slot is depressed or bent inwardly of the drumto so locate the slot edge and form said convex curved portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS I For a complete understanding of theinvention,'referenceshould be had to the following description inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which mentarily with thetie-down strap wound on the winch drum in out-of-use position;

FIG. 3 is a detached side elevational view of the winch drum showing theweb slot embodying the invention;

the plane of the line 3A3A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view takenapproximately on the plane of the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4A is a greatly enlarge d fragmentary transverse sectional view ofthe winch drum and the strap wound thereon as shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 4B is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view approximately onthe plane of line 4B4B of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the plane of the line 55 of FIG.2 showing the winch in end elevation;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view illustrating anothermanner of mounting the winch on a trailer body;

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional viewapproximately on the plane of theline 99 of FIG. 7; g

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the winch drum in a longitudinalsection and illustrating the manner of attaching the end of the strap tothe winch drum in a winch fixedly mounted on the trailer body as shownin FIGS. 6 and 7;

FIG. 9 is a detached respective view of a support element for attachingthe winch to the trailer body.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Specifically'describing theinvention, the reference character A designated a elongatedsubstantially flat deck, floor or body of a transport vehicle, forexample, a trailer of a motor truck, which is shown only fragmentarily.In accordance with the general practice, a load B is placed on thetrailer body and tied or held against movement on the deck by one ormore tie-down straps I each of which has one end connected to anysuitable means, for example, a rub-rail 2, or a stake, or an anchor ringsecured to the deckat one side of the load, while the other end of thestrap is wound or tightened on a winch generally designated C at theother side of the load.

In the present instance, the winch is shownas comprising a U-shapedframe mounted on a rail D on the vehicle deck and having a bottom ormain portion 3 and parallel arms 4 in and between which is journaled awinding spool or drum 5 on which the strap is wound during rotation ofthe drum in one direction.- As shown, one end of the drum projectsoutwardly beyond one of the arms 4 and has a plurality of transverseopenings 6 to receive a handle pin E shown by dot and dash lines in FIG.5 for rotating the drum. Of course, other means may be utilized forrotating the drum to wind and unwindthe strap thereon. To preventaccidental backward rotation of the drum, the other end of the drum FIG.3A is an enlarged transverse sectional view on 3 has rigidly securedthereto a ratchet 7 with which operates a pawl 8 pivoted at 9 on the arm4 of the frame and normally urged by gravity into engagement with the Iratchet as shown in FIG. 5. Desirably the pawl has a finger lug 10 forlifting the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet when that isdesired.

The invention is particularly concerned with the constrap is in the formof webbing of known construction,

for example, sling-weave nylon or polyester of a width of the order of1% inches to 3 inches and capable of withstanding tension of the orderof from 10,000 to 16,000 pounds.

The winch drum has a straight longitudinal web slot 11 parallel to theaxis of the drum through which one end of the strap extends into thedrum. As shown, the said end portion of the strap is returned upon themain portion of the strap and stitched thereto as indicated at 12 so asto form a loop 13. The loop is inserted into the drum through the .slot11 and is held against being pulled out by suitable means, for example,by either the shank 14 of a bolt having a head 15 at one edge of thestrap and a nut 16 on the other end at the other edge of the strap (seeFIG. 4, 4A, 4B and 9) or by a pin 17 having enlarged end portions 18 and19 at opposite edges of the strap as shown in FIG. 8. The head, nut andenlarged end portions preferably are greater in diameter than the loopso that when the strap is placed under tension during the winding of thestrap on the drum, said'head and nut,- or the enlarged end portions, asthe case may be, are drawn into contact with the inner surface of thedrum and prevent the pulling of the strap out of the slot (FIGS. 4, 4A,4B and 9).

As usual, during the winding of the strap it is drawn over onelongitudinal edge of the web slot, and in accordance with the inventionsaid edge of the web slot which is designated 20 is disposed inwardly ofthe outer cylindrical peripheral surface of the drum (see FIGS. 3A, 4and 9) and there is a convex curved surface 21 that extends outwardly ofthe drum from said edge of the slot and gradually merges into thecylindrical surface of the drum as indicated at 22. The portion of thedrum adjacent said edge of the slot may be depressed or bent inwardly ofthedrum to locate the slot edge as above described and to form saidconvex curved portion. FIGS. 3 and 3A show the slot, the depressed slotedge andtheconvex curved portion without the web. The con'vex curvedportion is in effect eccentric to and of a smaller degree of curvaturethan the cylindrical surface of the drum.

It has been found that with the slot fomied in the winch drum inaccordance with the invention, the possibility of fraying or cutting ofthe strap by the edge 20 ofthe web slot is eliminated or reduced to theminimum, and the strap during winding thereof on the drum to tie down aload on the trailer body is capable of withstanding extremely' hightension without breaking or cutting of the strap at the slot edge. Webelieve this re; sult is achieved because due to the depression of theslot edge 20 and the difference in curvature between the portion 21 andthe cylindrical surface of the drum, the second convolution andfollowing convolutions of the strap during winding thereof exert onlyslight pressure on the first convolution at the slot edge. See FIG. 4A.Also, we believe that the first convolution frictionally grips theconvex curved portion in closely spaced relation to the slot edge so asto prevent the increasing tension on the convolutions as the strap iswound, from being transmitted to the area of the strap that lies on theslot edge. I

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 through 5, the winch isadjustable longitudinally of the trailer body. The rail D has a base 23from which extends spaced apart side flanges 24 which have inwardlyprojecting portions 25 and the frame of the winch is slidably mountedbetween said flanges and has recesses 26. receiving said inwardlyprojecting portions in slidable relation thereto. The bolt or pin can beeasily inserted through the belt loop from one end of the winch drum inthis structural combination where the ends of the drum are freelyaccessible, but difficulty may arise when the ends of the drum are noteasily accessible as shown, for example, in FIGS. 6 and 7. Here thewinch frame F is installed in a box-like structure 26 that is weldedinan aperture 27 in the chassis G of the trailer body, and it is extremelydifficult to insert a bolt or pin into the strap loop that is insertedthrough the aperture 27 and through the strap slot 11 in the drum fromthe outer side of the chassis. I

FIG. 8 shows schematically a method to facilitate the insertion of thepin into the strap loop. One end of a flexible cord 28 is looped andtied through a hole in the, enlarged end portion 18 and the other end ofthe cord is inserted into one end of the drum 5, then outwardly throughthe strap slot, then through the strap loop 13, backwardly through saidslot and out of the other end of the drum shown in FIG. 8. Then thesecond mentioned end of the cord is pulled so as firstly todraw thestraplloop into the drum and secondly to pull the pin into the loop.

The winch embodying invention makes itpossible to utilize a known typeof strap formed of fabric or webbing, for example, a standard nylonstrap, in a cargo tie down apparatus so as withstand high tensions ofthe order of ten thousand to sixteen thousand pounds for long periods oftime without serious fraying or breaking surface andthere being anexterior curved surface extending convexly from said edge of the sloteccentric to and gradually merging into said cylindrical surface therebyto reduce the possibility of fraying of the strap by said edge of theslot.

2. The combination of a frame, a tubular drum journaled to rotate insaid frame and having a cylindrical outer surface and a longitudinalslot extending radially strap is disposed inwardly of said cylindricalsurface and there is a convexly curved surface that extends outwardlyfrom said edge and merges gradually into said cylindrical surfacethereby to reduce the possibility of fraying of the strap by said edgeof the slot.

1. A winch for winding a strap comprising the combination of a frame, awinding drum having a tubular wall journaled to rotate in said frame,and means for rotating said drum, said wall having a cylindrical outersurface for winding such a strap thereon and having intermediate itsends a longitudinal slot extending radially therethrough providing forpassage of said strap radially through said slot, the longitudinal edgeof the slot over which said strap is drawn during winding of the strapbeing disposed inwardly of said cylindrical outer surface and therebeing an exterior curved surface extending convexly from said edge ofthe slot eccentric to and gradually merging into said cylindricalsurface thereby to reduce the possibility of fraying of the strap bysaid edge of the slot.
 2. The combination of a frame, a tubular drumjournaled to rotate in said frame and having a cylindrical outer surfaceand a longitudinal slot extending radially therethrough, means to rotatesaid drum, a strap to be wound on said cylindrical surface and extendingradially through said slot with one end portion disposed within saiddrum and means to hold said end portion against being pulled out of saiddrum through said slot, characterized in that the longitudinal edge ofsaid slot over which the strap is drawn during winding of the strap isdisposed inwardly of said cylindrical surface and there is a convexlycurved surface that extends outwardly from said edge and mergesgradually into said cylindrical surface thereby to reduce thepossibility of fraying of the strap by said edge of the slot.